There's a brake on the left rear wheel....a cast aluminum brake drum, and hand lever operates it. I believe the skids are to protect the front axle from collisions.

The steering box is from a 20s Franklin automobile, the double row chain to the rear axle is driven by WR sprockets. Ford model T steering components, and american Austin auto front springs and front axle. The body is all aluminum sheet metal. Oil pressure gage is 30s Rolls-Royce.

Neat car, Tom. REALLY cool! This was the poor man's way into racing back in the 30's and 40's. They used what they could scrounge. Later cars had ford V-8 60's, and for a rich team Offy 110's.
I don't see any model T ford components in the steering, though. A model T front axel is a beam axel and would of been narrowed for the car. It looks like model A ford spindles. Transverse springs front and rear without a transverse locator bar would of made for some interesting handling in a bumpy corner. I'm guessing that it has an in/out (one speed) transmission and/or a dog clutch?
I think those "skid" plates on the front end were early attempts at anti-nerfing bars. Nerfing in an open wheel car (getting your front wheel between another car's wheel and body) is VERY bad, usually resulting in one, or both, cars flipping. G

are the front skids just that, skids? Brooklands sidecar outfits used to carry similar fittings so that if the chair lost a wheel, the outfit wouldn't flip over. I have been told that some speedway cars were also similarly fitted

Shoot, a man could have a good weekend in Dallas with all that stuff...